a mature arrangement. I will avoid your son’s wedding providing you agree to do the same for me on the odd occasion I visit your mother. There will obviously be other family events in the future, and we can liaise on which one of us will go. Do we have a deal?’
Vinny was seething. He wasn’t used to being blackmailed, neither was he used to being spoken to like a child. Part of him wanted to call Bella’s bluff, tell her he’d decided to tell Michael after all. That would wipe the patronizing tone straight out of her cocky gob. But much as he’d relish getting one over on her, it wasn’t worth losing his brother for ever. His mother would probably disown him as well. Not over his fling with Bella, just the fact he’d kept schtum about it. She’d see that as treacherous and unforgiveable.
‘I’m sorry to rush you, Vinny. But I’m very busy. I have a meeting with a client soon. Are you OK with what I suggested?’
‘Ain’t got a lot of choice, have I?’ Vinny hissed. ‘Just stay out my face, or else.’
Bella breathed a sigh of relief as Vinny cut her off. His idle threat at the end meant nothing. If he was going to tell Michael, he’d have done so long before now.
Vinny was absolutely furious. ‘Cunt! Whore! Slag!’ he screamed, throwing the phone at the wall. How dare the bitch say she’d let him know when she was visiting his mother, so he could stay away? That was the piss-takes of all piss-takes.
Katy Spencer took her linen jacket off to reveal the skin-tight white Lycra dress. ‘Well? Can you see it?’ she asked, turning to the side.
‘Definitely. It’s a big bump now,’ Lucy Tompkins lied, knowing that’s exactly what her friend wanted to hear. Katy was so tall and slim, even though she was now over four months pregnant, apart from a bit of a pot belly, there was no real sign.
‘Come on. Let’s start walking. I know we’re early, but I don’t want to miss them,’ Katy said, linking arms with Lucy.
Having managed to keep her pregnancy secret from her parents, Katy now felt the time was right for Michael to learn the truth. She’d been very disappointed that he hadn’t contacted her yet, but was sure once he knew about the baby they’d become an item once again. ‘Are you sure Daniel and Lee will notice, Luce? Say they don’t? I want you to hint or do something if they start to walk away without mentioning it.’
‘Like what? You said you didn’t want to blurt anything out,’ Lucy reminded her friend.
‘I can’t do this on my own any more. My baby needs his daddy and so do I. Michael needs to know, and then we can tell my parents together, like a proper couple. If the boys don’t cotton on, then point to my bloody bump and make a joke about me putting on weight and why. Obviously, don’t mention their father. Michael will want to tell them himself. But Daniel and Lee are bound to tell him my news as soon as they get home. I bet he rings me tonight. Or first thing tomorrow at the latest. I can’t wait to see him again,’ Katy said dreamily.
‘I don’t want to burst your bubble, but you did say Michael didn’t want any more kids yet. Say it’s too soon after Adam and he isn’t happy about it, Katy? He probably will be, but I don’t want you to be upset if he isn’t. I don’t mind being there when you tell your parents if need be.’
‘Michael will want to be there with me, Luce. He loves me, I know he does. Now he knows I’m pregnant, he won’t even worry about the age gap. He only let me go because he thought I could do better than him. He told me that to my face.’
‘Are you sure Daniel and Lee definitely walk this way?’
‘Yes. I often walked with them. I think they fancied me and wanted to show me off to their school mates,’ Katy chuckled. ‘If we hang about on that corner over the road there, that’s where they turn. They always go straight home to play on their pool table and gaming machines. They both thought I was so cool because I was good at Pac-Man. I know it’s bound to be a shock for them at first, but once they get their head around me being with their dad, I reckon they’ll love having me as their new mum.’
About to remind her friend that the reason Michael had finished with her was because Daniel and Lee had found out about her affair with their father and were unhappy about it, Lucy opened her mouth, then shut it again. Katy was in an extremely positive mood today, and all Lucy could do was be there for her if things didn’t quite go to plan. ‘The kids have started to come out now.’
Katy craned her neck and being tall had a great view. ‘I can see them, I think. Hang on. Yep! That’s definitely Daniel. Quick, let’s go round the corner, then walk towards it again,’ she said excitedly.
Daniel and Lee had just sparked up a cigarette when Lee spotted Katy. ‘Shit, put the fags out. It’s Katy. She might tell Dad,’ he hissed.
Confident that Katy was far too cool to grass them up, Daniel strutted across the road like James Dean, fag in mouth. ‘Long time no see. How you doing, darlin’?’
‘Fine, thank you. I miss yous two though.’
‘We miss you an’ all, don’t we, Dan?’ Lee grinned.
‘We’re sorry we lost you your job. We’d never have bricked Donald and Mary’s café if we knew Dad would sack you,’ Daniel apologized.
Feeling the first stirrings of unrest, Katy enquired what exactly Daniel meant.
‘Dad said it was our fault you couldn’t work for him no more. He said if we’d have behaved ourselves you wouldn’t have lost your job,’ Lee explained.
Trying to hide her anguish because it was totally obvious the boys did not know about her affair with their father, and Michael had blatantly lied to her, Katy asked, ‘How is your dad?’
‘Yeah, OK. Loved up again with Bella, so we don’t see him as much now. She’s OK though, ain’t she, Dan?’ Lee said.
‘Not as nice as you though,’ Daniel added, putting an arm around Katy’s back.
Lucy felt so sorry for her friend as she burst into uncontrollable tears. ‘Come on, mate. Let’s go,’ she urged.
‘Bastard! What a lying fucking bastard,’ Katy sobbed.
‘Have we said something wrong? Sorry, Katy,’ Lee spluttered.
Horrified when a group of schoolchildren gathered around, Lucy was the one to dig her friend out of a hole. ‘No, boys. You’ve said nothing wrong. But your dad told Katy she lost her job for another reason, that’s why she’s upset. Oh, and she’s also pregnant which makes her emotional as well.’
‘You got a boyfriend now, Katy?’ Lee gawped.
Instead of answering, an inconsolable Katy fled the scene.
Vinny Butler was in a random boozer where nobody knew him, knocking back Scotch after Scotch. Jay Boy, Carl, Pete and Paul were all at the club and no way did he want them to know he was on one. Neither would he ever mug himself off in front of his wealthy clients.
Cocaine had been a problem to Vinny back in the day, which was why he’d given it the elbow. Today, however, he’d felt a strong urge to get off his face and had purchased a couple of grams. Ahmed had introduced him to the crap in the first place, and Vinny was reminiscing how he’d not only paid the Turk back for that, but also every other treacherous thing
